‘Cut’ to open Venice Horizons

Jia Zhang Ke to head cutting-edge section's jury

U.S.-based Iranian helmer Amir Naderi’s “Cut,” a poetic homage to Yakuza movies, will open the Venice Film Festival’s cutting-edge Horizons section, which has also announced its jury roster.

“Cut,” which stars Japanese thesp Hidetoshi Nishijima (“Dolls”), and is shot in Japan, will mark Naderi’s return to the Lido three years after his “Vegas: Based on a True Story” screened in the Venice competish.

Meanwhile, Chinese helmer Jia Zhangke, whose “Still Life” took the Golden Lion in 2007, will replace Thai auteur Apichatpong Weerasethakul as head of the five-member Horizons jury panel since Weerasethakul is unable to attend Venice for personal reasons, said a fest rep.